ICS June 2011 : Page 6

Editorial Comment By Jeffrey ® Stouffer Group Publisher ❚ Phil Johnson, Publisher ❚ Evan Kessler Eastern Regional Manager ❚ Chris Dunham Western Regional Manager ❚ Jim Roy Editor ❚ Jeffrey Stouffer Sr. Art Director ❚ Rick Arvidson Art Director ❚ Manda Chan Production Manager ❚ Amy Levin CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Jeff Bishop, John Braun, Dave DeBlander, Aaron Groseclose, Gordon Hanks, Stanley Quentin Hulin, Howard Partridge, Steve Toburen, Ruth Travis Performance or Price: Setting the Premium he challenge of establishing performance over pricing as the primary factor homeowners consider when selecting a cleaning professional has been going on, well…for pretty much as long as anyone can remember. While the popular position has always been with the former, anyone who’s been in the business for more than a fortnight knows one or more peers who, when pressed, lean toward the latter. But when the conversation turns to knowledge, there’s much more of a consensus. “You can’t outperform your knowledge,” Bob Bonwell is known to say. Kevin Fisher cites him as saying just that in “Train Your Employees” on page 16. The education landscape has changed radically in the past 10 years: where “training” once may have meant shutting down the shop for a week and sending people halfway across the country, other options have cropped up in the last decade that make employee education and development simply too easy and accessible to pass up, especially in a business environment as challenging as today’s. “Ingredients for Separating a Diversification” on page 26 is part two of Jeff Bishop’s four-part series on adding a restoration division to your existing company. The best recipe for failure? Let everything overlap, blend together; if you don’t structure your divisions as individual companies within a larger organization, each with its own support staff, equipment and specialists, you’re already behind the eight ball. Dave DeBlander explains what it means when he suggests “Taking Massive Ac-tion” (page 30), while Jeff Vasek breaks down the documentation process in “RRP Record Keeping: The Contractor’s Challenge” on page 20. We’re halfway through 2011. There’s still six months left to set the premium on your business and get it rolling in the right direction; the question is, where do you want to be to ring in the new year? T BNP Media Company, II, L.L.C. Publishing and Sales Office: 22801 Ventura Blvd., Suite 115 Woodland Hills, CA 91364 Phone: (818) 224-8035, Fax: (818) 224-8042 E-mail: ICS@bnpmedia.com Publisher ❚ Evan Kessler (303) 255-1263 Eastern Regional Manager ❚ Chris Dunham (410) 327-8919 Western Regional Manager ❚ Jim Roy (818) 224-8035, ext. 2215 Classified Sales Manager ❚ Sharon Ward (847) 405-4017 CORPORATE OFFICE: 2401 West Big Beaver Road, Suite 700 Troy, MI 48084 www.bnpmedia.com CORPORATE DIRECTORS Publishing ❚ Timothy A. Fausch Publishing ❚ John R. Schrei Corporate Strategy ❚ Rita M. Foumia Marketing ❚ Ariane Claire Production ❚ Vincent M. Miconi Finance ❚ Lisa L. Paulus Creative ❚ Michael T. Powell Directories ❚ Nikki Smith Human Resources ❚ Marlene J. Witthoft Conferences & Events ❚ Emily Patten Clear Seas Director ❚ Beth A. Surowiec Custom Media Group ❚ Christopher Wilson Marketing Contact/Manager ❚ Rick Arvidson AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT Audience Development Coordinator ❚ Christina Gietzen Multimedia Specialist ❚ Alison Illes Audience Audit Coordinator ❚ Carolyn M. Alexander Connect with ICS, wherever you are! Now it's easier than ever to stay connected to the BEST source of the latest news and information. Find us on Twitter and Facebook. Follow ICS on Twitter > BNP Media Helps People Succeed in Business with Superior Information Single Copy Sales Ann Kalb Tel. (248) 244-6499 E-mail: kalba@bnpmedia.com For subscription information or service, please contact Customer Service at: Tel. (847) 763-9534 or Fax (847) 763-9538 or e-mail ICS@halldata.com Web: www.icsmag.com List Rental Postal contact: www.twitter.com/ICSMag Find us on Twitter @ICSMag. Get great article headlines, communicate with our staff and share your opinion with us. Become a Fan of ICS on Facebook > www.facebook.com/ICSCleaningSpecialist Connect, share and interact with other individuals in your industry. We’ll share the latest information and events going on around you. 6 Cleaning Specialist | June 2011 Kevin Collopy at 800-223-2194 x 684 Kevin.Collopy@infogroup.com Email contact: Michael Costantino at 800-223-2194 x 748 michael.costantino@infogroup.com

Editorial Comment

Jeffrey Stouffer

Performance or Price: Setting the Premium The challenge of establishing performance over pricing as the primary factor homeowners consider when selecting a cleaning professional has been going on, well…for pretty much as long as anyone can remember. While the popular position has always been with the former, anyone who’s been in the business for more than a fortnight knows one or more peers who, when pressed, lean toward the latter. But when the conversation turns to knowledge, there’s much more of a consensus. “You can’t outperform your knowledge,” Bob Bonwell is known to say. Kevin Fisher cites him as saying just that in “Train Your Employees” on page 16. The education landscape has changed radically in the past 10 years: where “training” once may have meant shutting down the shop for a week and sending people halfway across the country, other options have cropped up in the last decade that make employee education and development simply too easy and accessible to pass up, especially in a business environment as challenging as today’s. “Ingredients for Separating a Diversification” on page 26 is part two of Jeff Bishop’s four-part series on adding a restoration division to your existing company. The best recipe for failure? Let everything overlap, blend together; if you don’t structure your divisions as individual companies within a larger organization, each with its own support staff, equipment and specialists, you’re already behind the eight ball. Dave DeBlander explains what it means when he suggests “Taking Massive Action” (page 30), while Jeff Vasek breaks down the documentation process in “RRP Record Keeping: The Contractor’s Challenge” on page 20. We’re halfway through 2011. There’s still six months left to set the premium on your business and get it rolling in the right direction; the question is, where do you want to be to ring in the new year?

Previous Page Next Page

Publication List
Using a screen reader? Click Here